This Saturday (November 17th) Rockaway Kids Carnival is organizing a free carnival to lift the spirits, warm the souls and bring smiles to the faces of the children and families of the Rockaways.

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has been particularly difficult for children. They have have lost their homes, belongings, toys, sense of security-- everything. Even more than adults, they have difficulty understanding the situation and react with fear, sadness and anxiety.

Thanks to hundreds of thousands of donations and tens of thousands of volunteers, the physical needs of the Rockaways community are being met as best as possible given the circumstances.

After spending over two weeks doing relief work in the Rockaways, we have noticed some items that remain in very short supply: happiness, joy and laughter.

Now that they have food, water, clothing, batteries, baby items and other material necessities, it is time to help families find a moment of joy and hope and during a very challenging time. Our collective of grassroots organizations have taken it upon ourselves to create "The Rockaway Kids Carnival," a day for the kids to just be kids.

We plan on doing more of these in the coming months, especially during the holiday season.

There will be stilt walkers, marching bands, hula hoopers, face painters, tons of costumes to give away, free toys, delicious food and everything needed to bring a smile to the kids’ faces and boost the morale of the children, parents and community as a whole.

The carnival will take place tomorrow, Saturday, November 17, 2012, from 1pm to 4pm at Beach 99th St and Shorefront Parkway, Rockaway, Queens. For more information, visit facebook.com/events/226017454196516 (updated frequently).